Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time
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Irish Goodbye

Everybody Dies by Lawrence Block

January 13, 2025 by Jake Leave a Comment

When I first read Everybody Dies a few years ago, I found it disappointing. Matt partnering with his gangster friend Mick Ballou sounded like fun but the execution was meh. Block used it as an excuse to kill off a lit of auxiliary characters from previous books, while the killer himself wasn’t especially interesting and I didn’t feel like I understood Ballou’s character more than I already did. So I wasn’t really jazzed to go back to it for my Scudder re-read, which is almost complete. But […]

Filed Under: Mystery Tagged With: crime fiction, Everybody Dies, lawrence block, Matthew Scudder, mystery, New York City, re-read

Jake's CBR17 Review No:2 · Genres: Mystery · Tags: crime fiction, Everybody Dies, lawrence block, Matthew Scudder, mystery, New York City, re-read ·
Rating:
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To Vigil the Ante

Even the Wicked by Lawrence Block

Revelation by CJ Sansom

December 12, 2024 by Jake Leave a Comment

Just as with Trump’s election last month dovetailing into subjects I read, the recent shooting death of healthcare CEO Brian Thompson by a vigilante killer coincided with me reading two consecutive books on vigilante justice. Going to review both vis-a-vis how they speak to the moment. Even the Wicked Growing up, vigilante justice was always right wing coded. Dirty Harry. Death Wish. I still remember the popular “Beer For My Horses” song in which Willie Nelson and Toby Keith talk about public hangings and “putting […]

Filed Under: Mystery Tagged With: #Henry VIII, book of Revelation, CJ Sansom, crime, England, Even the Wicked, historical fiction, lawrence block, Matthew Scudder, Matthew Shardlake, mystery, New York City, Religion, reread, Revelation, Tudor England, vigilante justice, vigilantism

Jake's CBR16 Review No:188 · Genres: Mystery · Tags: #Henry VIII, book of Revelation, CJ Sansom, crime, England, Even the Wicked, historical fiction, lawrence block, Matthew Scudder, Matthew Shardlake, mystery, New York City, Religion, reread, Revelation, Tudor England, vigilante justice, vigilantism ·
Rating:
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Thanksgiving 2024 Leftovers

Remembrance Day by Henry Porter

Dead Lions by Mick Herron

Zero Days by Ruth Ware

Whisper Down the Lane by Clay McLeod Chapman

Killing Castro by Lawrence Block

Deadly Beloved by Max Allan Collins

Spy Hook by Len Deighton

London Rules by Mick Herron

Real Tigers by Mick Herron

November 27, 2024 by Jake Leave a Comment

Happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate. Remembrance Day**** An interesting take on the English-vs-Irish spy novel and while the author telegraphs too many things, he knows how to keep a story moving. Barely clears the 4-star threshold but if I invest time to read something almost 500 pages long, it has to be at least “good” and this was. Dead Lions, Real Tigers, and London Rules**** I had originally meant to do a big long post on my love/grr relationship with Mick Herron’s Slough House […]

Filed Under: Fiction Tagged With: Bernard Samson, Chicago, Clay McLeod Chapman, Dead Lions, Deadly Beloved, domestic surveillance, England, espionage, hard case crime, Henry Porter, historical fiction, horror, Ireland, Killing Castro, lawrence block, Len Deighton, London Rules, Max Allan Collins, MI-5, MI-6, mick herron, Ms Tree, mystery, Real Tigers, Religion, Remembrance Day, Russia, Ruth Ware, Satan Panic, Slough House, Slow Horses, Spy Hook, terrorism, The Troubles, thriller, Virginia, Whisper down the lane, Zero Days

Jake's CBR16 Review No:186 · Genres: Fiction · Tags: Bernard Samson, Chicago, Clay McLeod Chapman, Dead Lions, Deadly Beloved, domestic surveillance, England, espionage, hard case crime, Henry Porter, historical fiction, horror, Ireland, Killing Castro, lawrence block, Len Deighton, London Rules, Max Allan Collins, MI-5, MI-6, mick herron, Ms Tree, mystery, Real Tigers, Religion, Remembrance Day, Russia, Ruth Ware, Satan Panic, Slough House, Slow Horses, Spy Hook, terrorism, The Troubles, thriller, Virginia, Whisper down the lane, Zero Days ·
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Do You Guys Ever Think About Death?

A Long Line of Dead Men by Lawrence Block

November 27, 2024 by Jake Leave a Comment

I usually don’t take a long post for my Scudder re-reads as most are summarized compared to what I originally wrote about them. But I wanted some extra space to explore this one. I’ve noticed that post-Eight Million Ways to Die, Lawrence Block’s Scudder plots have become weaker. That’s fine with me; Block’s not bad at plotting but it’s not his strong suit and I’ve come to see these more as hang out novels than Christie-type whodunnits. So I wasn’t looking forward to this one […]

Filed Under: Mystery Tagged With: A Long Line of Dead Men, lawrence block, Matthew Scudder, mystery, New York City, reread, secret societies, serial killer

Jake's CBR16 Review No:177 · Genres: Mystery · Tags: A Long Line of Dead Men, lawrence block, Matthew Scudder, mystery, New York City, reread, secret societies, serial killer ·
Rating:
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Early Fall Leftovers

To Start A War: How the Bush Administration Took Us Into Iraq by Robert Draper

The Travelers by Chris Pavone

A Walk Among the Tombstones by Lawrence Block

Dark Fire by CJ Sansom

The Menendez Murders: The Shocking Untold Story of the Menendez Family and the Killings that Stunned the Nation by Robert Rand

Stasi Child by David Young

The Cover Wife by Dan Fesperman

So Thirsty by Rachel Harrison

Revelations of Divine Love by Julian of Norwich

Geiger by Gustaf Skördeman

Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001 by Steve Coll

Slow Horses by Mick Herron

The Devil Knows You're Dead by Lawrence Block

October 14, 2024 by Jake Leave a Comment

I’ve read some interesting stuff lately and I wish I had made more time to document it but life gets in the way that life sometimes does. Not all bad, just life. To Start A War**** I had a long thing here about connecting this to the 2024 election but I don’t want to talk current electoral politics on here, at least the specifics of them. A good book if you want to know the intelligence (ha) perspective of how we wound up in a […]

Filed Under: Fiction, History, Horror, Mystery, Non-Fiction, Religion, Suspense Tagged With: #Henry VIII, #history, 9/11, A Walk Among the Tombstones, Afghanistan, Berlin, Chris Pavone, Christian mysticism, Christianity, CIA, CJ Sansom, Colin Powell, Condolezza Rice, Dan Fesperman, Dark Fire, David Young, East Germany, espionage, Forever Wars, Geiger, George W. Bush, Germany, Ghost Wars, Gustaf Skördeman, Hamburg, historical fiction, horror, Julian of Norwich, Karin Muller, lawrence block, London, Matthew Scudder, Matthew Shardlake, medieval england, mick herron, mystery, New York City, Osama Bin Laden, Rachel Harrison, Religion, Revelations of Divine Love, Robert Draper, Robert Rand, Sara Nowak, Slow Horses, So Thirsty, Stasi, Stasi Child, Steve Coll, Sweden, The Cover Wife, The Devil Knows you're Dead, The Travelers, Thomas Cromwell, To Start a war, Tudor England, vampires, War in Iraq

Jake's CBR16 Review No:168 · Genres: Fiction, History, Horror, Mystery, Non-Fiction, Religion, Suspense · Tags: #Henry VIII, #history, 9/11, A Walk Among the Tombstones, Afghanistan, Berlin, Chris Pavone, Christian mysticism, Christianity, CIA, CJ Sansom, Colin Powell, Condolezza Rice, Dan Fesperman, Dark Fire, David Young, East Germany, espionage, Forever Wars, Geiger, George W. Bush, Germany, Ghost Wars, Gustaf Skördeman, Hamburg, historical fiction, horror, Julian of Norwich, Karin Muller, lawrence block, London, Matthew Scudder, Matthew Shardlake, medieval england, mick herron, mystery, New York City, Osama Bin Laden, Rachel Harrison, Religion, Revelations of Divine Love, Robert Draper, Robert Rand, Sara Nowak, Slow Horses, So Thirsty, Stasi, Stasi Child, Steve Coll, Sweden, The Cover Wife, The Devil Knows you're Dead, The Travelers, Thomas Cromwell, To Start a war, Tudor England, vampires, War in Iraq ·
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July-August 2024 Leftovers

Heartsick by Chelsea Cain

Brief Answers to the Big Questions by Stephen Hawking

Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare

Conversations With Friends by Sally Rooney

Confucius for Christians: What and Ancient Chinese Worldview Can Teach Us about Life in Christ by Greg A. Ten Elshof

Lucky At Cards by Lawrence Block

A Dance at the Slaughterhouse by Lawrence Block

Case Closed: Lee Harvey Oswald and the Assassination of JFK by Gerald Posner

Doing the Devil's Work by Bill Loehfelm

The Kneeling Man: My Father's Life as a Black Spy Who Witnessed the Murder of Martin Luther King, Jr. by Leta McCullough Seletzky

The Third Bullet by Stephen Hunter

Burning Angel by James Lee Burke

The Queen City Detective Agency by Snowden Wright

Poetic Justice by Andrea J. Johnson

September 14, 2024 by Jake Leave a Comment

Because I’ve been posting most of my reviews due to Bingo, I haven’t kept up with the leftover ones until now. Hope everyone had  a good summer. It’s my least favorite time of year but this one wasn’t so bad. Heartsick***: I took this book too seriously when I tried to read it the first time. I relaxed and enjoyed the ride the second. Goofy fun, nothing more. Brief Answers to the Big Questions****: I do enjoy listening to Hawking’s desire to push the boundaries […]

Filed Under: Biography/Memoir, Fiction, History, Mystery, Non-Fiction, Suspense Tagged With: A Dance at the Slaughterhouse, Andrea J. Johnson, Archie Sheridan, astrophysics, Bill Loehfelm, Bobby Lee Swagger, Brief Answers to Big Questions, Burning Angel, Case Closed, Chelsea Cain, CIA, Confucianism, Confucius for Christians, conversations with friends, cozy mystery, David Robicheaux, Delaware, Doing the Devil's work, FBI, Gerald Posner, Greg A. Ten Elshof, Gretchen Lowell, hard case crime, Heartsick, historical fiction, Ireland, James Lee Burke, john f kennedy, Julius Caesar, lawrence block, lee harvey oswald, Leta McCullough Seletzky, Lucky At Cards, Martin Luther King Jr., Matthew Scudder, Maureen Coughlin, Memphis, mississippi, mystery, New Orleans, New York City, Oregon, plays, Poetic Justice, Portland, Religion, roman empire, Sally Rooney, science, serial killers, Snowden Wright, stephen hawking, Stephen Hunter, the kennedy assassination, The Kneeling Man, The Queen City Detective Agency, The Third Bullet, the universe, true crime, Victoria Justice, william shakespeare

Jake's CBR16 Review No:149 · Genres: Biography/Memoir, Fiction, History, Mystery, Non-Fiction, Suspense · Tags: A Dance at the Slaughterhouse, Andrea J. Johnson, Archie Sheridan, astrophysics, Bill Loehfelm, Bobby Lee Swagger, Brief Answers to Big Questions, Burning Angel, Case Closed, Chelsea Cain, CIA, Confucianism, Confucius for Christians, conversations with friends, cozy mystery, David Robicheaux, Delaware, Doing the Devil's work, FBI, Gerald Posner, Greg A. Ten Elshof, Gretchen Lowell, hard case crime, Heartsick, historical fiction, Ireland, James Lee Burke, john f kennedy, Julius Caesar, lawrence block, lee harvey oswald, Leta McCullough Seletzky, Lucky At Cards, Martin Luther King Jr., Matthew Scudder, Maureen Coughlin, Memphis, mississippi, mystery, New Orleans, New York City, Oregon, plays, Poetic Justice, Portland, Religion, roman empire, Sally Rooney, science, serial killers, Snowden Wright, stephen hawking, Stephen Hunter, the kennedy assassination, The Kneeling Man, The Queen City Detective Agency, The Third Bullet, the universe, true crime, Victoria Justice, william shakespeare ·
· 0 Comments
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